


Melt

by Marasa



Series: Dream Eater [4]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Anxiety, Comfort, Cuddling, Fever, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Josh watches HGTV, M/M, Massage, Migraine, Sick Fic, Soft Boys, Tyler gives good massages, sick, tyler's trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-14 00:03:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11196261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marasa/pseuds/Marasa
Summary: Josh wakes up sick and Tyler has trouble knowing what to do.Aka Tyler takes care of Josh because Josh has been taking care of him for so long





	Melt

Tyler wrings his hands together in the kitchen doorway.

His hair is still mussed with sleep, sleepshirt and a pair of basketball shorts on. He’d look human if it weren’t for the ruby red eyes flying from face to face of those enjoying their breakfast at the table.

Tyler’s, or really, Josh’s, roommates stare up from their bowls of cereal and phones, halting their conversations so they can look at the spirit shifting on his feet.

“Um?" Tyler begins. "Josh is...I don't- please?” 

“What?” comes Mark’s loud-mouthed, inconsiderate answer. He’s still chewing on a mouthful of toast, crumbs spraying out of his mouth.

Tyler huffs. The spirit hurries over to Mark, grabs the man's hand and tugs him gently from his chair and down the hall to Josh’s room.

They enter the dark room quietly and Tyler tugs a little harder at Mark's hand as he quickens his pace to the bed.

Josh is still asleep, albeit fitful. His face is scrunched up and he's breathing roughly with a film of sweat covering his face.

Tyler whines and releases Mark's hand so he can crawl on the bed and join Josh on his other side. The spirit looks up at Mark expectantly with ruby red eyes.

Mark has an idea of what's up, so he places the back of his hand on Josh’s forehead. Josh huffs. Tyler whines and squirms on the bed in distress.

“You sick, buddy?” Mark inquires.

Josh groans.

“I-Is he,” Tyler’s voice breaks, “will...is he….I don’t-”

“He just has a fever,” Mark says a little quieter, for Josh’s sake and Tyler’s too. 

“I’ll go get him some water and some medicine,” Mark says. “Keep him comfortable, okay?”

Tyler opens his mouth to ramble out how he doesn’t know what that means. He doesn't know how to keep someone comfortable, if he can even do it, he needs-

“Tyler, relax.” Mark smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”

Mark gives Tyler a warm smile and squeezes his shoulder before turning and leaving the room to fetch what will supposedly help Josh. Tyler looks longing after him, desperate for guidance and stability in this confusing time.

Tyler hates how new humans are still to him. He may have been summoned almost a year ago, but he still learns something everyday.

Tyler had heard about creatures known as 'humans' but had never seen one up close. Then all of a sudden, he was summoned by a boy with blue hair in a house of people doing questionable things.

They were scary at first with blood on their shirts and stacks of money on the dining room table, the scent of sweat and intimidation radiating off of them. Tyler spent most of his time trembling and cowering before them, completely out of his element.

But then the boy with blue hair had smiled the brightest smile ever and suggested to him in the softest voice to come from his hiding spots that were the shadows of every room he wandered into. Tyler liked the sense of primal security shadows offered him, the dumb idea that he wouldn’t be visible to others as long as he stood against the wall in the hall or in the corner of the living room or kitchen. 

Mark would laugh and Hayley would voice an ‘Aww’ and then Michael would chime in that Tyler’s staring from the shadows was creepy. The attention and name calling only made Tyler more scared to step from the attempted security of the shadows.

So when Josh had one day spoken quietly and softly to Tyler to come watch television with him, Tyler had stepped further into the shadows of the hallway. Josh had nodded his understanding and told Tyler to come out whenever he was ready and then proceeded to sit on the couch and turn on the tv.

Tyler had stared him down as he flipped through the channels and was surprised to see that the mohawked man didn’t stop on some kind of violent programming but rather a home renovation show on a DIY channel. Tyler blinked, surprised and leaned a little out of the hallway so he could make sure that what he was seeing was the truth, but leaned back when he saw Josh smile.

It took a whole twenty minutes before Tyler took a tentative step forward and Josh’s smile disappeared as he tried to stay as quiet and still as possible as to not scare the spirit. Tyler emerged from the shadows to stand along the wall and watch Josh from there. Ten more minutes and he took another step forward. Another ten and he was standing beside the armchair next to the sofa. Ten more minutes and he leaned on the armrest. 

“I don’t think they should go with the black and white backsplash,” Josh had said without looking from the television and Tyler had jumped at the sudden noise, even if it was soft and low and so so comforting.

“Sorry,” Josh said quietly, “I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s okay, Tyler.”

Tyler had bit his lip and stared at Josh as the blue-haired man went back to watching television. It only took two minutes for Tyler to relax his shoulders and quietly slip into the seat of the armchair, hands folded in his lap and wary gaze trained on Josh. 

“Do you like the black and white backsplash?” Josh had asked in voice like velvet and Tyler didn’t jump that time. He simply shook his head and Josh smiled. “Yeah, me neither.”

That had been the beginning of their relationship. Well, one of their beginnings.

After that, Tyler made it a habit to watch television with Josh and follow him more closely. He had kept seven feet away from him and then, what came as a surprise to everyone in the house, the spirit suddenly seemed attached at the hip to Josh. Their friendship had bloomed so quickly and with it, the fear and uncertainty Tyler suffered from before was greatly diminished.

Josh opened his eyes to the reality of his friends- they weren’t so scary. They were goofy and stupid and hilarious. Michael was wise with a comforting authority about him. Hayley and Mark were funny and would laugh about anything and everything. Jordan was smart and talented. And Josh. Josh was everything. He still is.

Josh is funny and talented and comforting and...everything. Plus, he gave the best hugs. 

Josh had taken care of Tyler.

Tyler wants to do the same.

Josh groans and turns his head so he’s leaning against the jut of Tyler’s hip. Tyler can feel the heat of his skin through the fabric of his shirt over his waist.

The spirit slowly lifts his hand and places it on the top of Josh’s head, fingers weaving in the sweaty strands of vibrant blue so he can gently massage his scalp. Josh sighs with his eyes still closed at the sensation of comforting fingers rubbing the ache of his thudding head.

Mark returns with a few pills and a glass of ice water with the instruction to keep Josh hydrated, comfortable and to make sure he took his medicine every four hours. Before he leaves, Mark gives Tyler a smile and a thumbs up. 

Tyler blushes and waits for Mark to close the door behind him so he can gather himself.

“Josh,” Tyler whispers. The spirit places a hand on his cheek. “Josh. You need to take your medicine now.”

Tyler helps him sit up but Josh can't suppress his groan of overexertion. The noise makes Tyler’s anxiety spike, suddenly reminded of his inexperience with dealing with sick humans.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Tyler rambles in an attempt to comfort Josh and ease some of his pain. The ghost of a smirk tugs at the corner of Josh’s mouth.

Tyler tilts the cup of water to Josh’s lips and whispers an apology when he spills a bit on Josh’s bare chest. 

Tyler tries to keep his eyes focused on the task at hand but he was becoming distracted by the way a few drops of water were inching down Josh’s sternum, to his abs, to the cusp of his belly button. The movement of Josh’s head nodding backwards, signifying his finish, brought Tyler’s eyes up just in time for him to see more than a few drops of water spill from the glass down Josh’s chin to his front.

“Sorry!”

Josh simply hums and leans his head back onto the headboard.

“‘S fine,” Josh says as his eyes slip closed. “Feels...good.”

Josh’s head begins to fall forward as he drifts off to sleep and as great as it is that he's getting rest, Tyler doesn't want him to wake with a crick in his neck.

“Josh,” Tyler whispers with a hand on the side of Josh’s neck. The skin burns with unnatural heat. “Josh, maybe you could lay down? That would be more comfortable.”

Josh hums and slides further down the bed until his head’s back on his pillow.

Tyler slides down just a little bit, still mostly sitting up in case he needs to jump up to get anything for the man beside him. Josh seems sated for the most part, though, as all he does is scoot a little closer and burrow his head in Tyler’s side, finding warmth and comfort against him with a sleepy smile.

Tyler’s hand returns to Josh’s hair without a thought, fingernails scratching along his scalp and traveling down to the back of his neck where he gently scratches and massages the hot skin. Tyler gets lost in the movements of working out the tight muscles at the back of Josh’s head that are most likely adding to his achiness and migraine.

Josh winces as Tyler presses on a particularly sore spot and Tyler lightens his touch significantly. Josh’s face relaxes.

The knot is right beneath his fingers and he knows if he were to loosen it, Josh would feel better but he doesn't want to make him uncomfortable. His fingers tap against Josh as he weighs the pros and cons.

“There's a knot right here,” Tyler says. He gives a gentle rub of his finger over the bump. “I'm gonna try to loosen it up again. It'll hurt for just a second but it'll release that pressure once it's loosened up; you'll feel better.”

Josh peeks open his eye and barely tilts his head up in Tyler’s direction. 

“Okay,” Josh whispers. “I trust you.”

The revelation makes Tyler’s fingers still and his face to soften more so. Josh always looked like the tough, scary punk but here he looked soft with his face nuzzling back into Tyler’s side and his hand gently holding a handful of Tyler’s basketball shorts.

“Just breathe,” Tyler instructs.

Josh hums.

Tyler’s fingers gently rub up and down the back of Josh’s neck as he waits for him to relax further and get in the swing of breathing deeply. Once he feels some of the tension fade away, Tyler drifts back to that one troublesome spot. 

Gently, he presses over the knot rubs clockwise, gradually increasing the pressure. Josh whines and Tyler leans down a little to coo close to him.

“Shh,” Tyler whispers, “almost done. Breathe.”

Josh scrunches his face and grips Tyler’s shorts tighter and Tyler tries to hurry up. A minute later and Tyler eases his fingers off of Josh’s neck now that the knot is gone.

Josh immediately sighs and wraps one arm around Tyler’s legs and presses further into Tyler’s side with a mumble of ‘thank you’ and a blissful sigh.

“Do you need anything?” Tyler whispered, considerate of his migraine. He wanted to check before Josh nodded off to sleep. 

Josh didn’t have much energy to sit up or even open his eyes but he managed to summon a smile and utter a few raspy words.

“As long as you’re here with me,” Josh says, “I’ll be amazing.”

Tyler smiles and gently strokes Josh’s hair.

“I'm here,” Tyler says but Josh is already falling asleep, warm breath escaping his parted lips. Tyler smiles and let's his own eyes slip closed, hand still moving in Josh’s hair.

**Author's Note:**

> Egh, soft boys too sweet :P
> 
> If you have any requests/prompts for this series, send 'em my way. Thanks!


End file.
